{"id":30489,"date":"2026-08-04T07:01:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T07:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/?p=30489"},"modified":"2026-08-04T08:37:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T08:37:12","slug":"when-others-make-the-decisions-youth-under-the-shadow-of-judgment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/2026\/08\/when-others-make-the-decisions-youth-under-the-shadow-of-judgment\/","title":{"rendered":"When others make the decisions; youth under the shadow of judgment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Salam Watandar’s interviews with 33 young people (18 girls and 15 boys) in Kabul and several provinces of Afghanistan show that interference and judgment from others have had a significant impact on their personal choices, education, social relationships, and other aspects of their lives.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Participants in this report said that other people’s interference and judgment have had the greatest impact on their lifestyles and educational choices. Twelve participants said it had influenced the way they dress, another 12 said it had affected their decision to continue their education, four said it had influenced their career choices, three pointed to its impact on their social behavior, and two said it had affected family and social matters.<\/p>\n

The findings show that pressure resulting from other people’s interference and judgment has had the greatest impact on the educational decisions and lifestyles of youth.<\/p>\n

Making choices under the weight of others’ judgment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beheshta Hamid, a 29-year-old resident of Baghlan, says she faced differing opinions about her choice of field of study and her decision to continue her education.<\/p>\n

“When I decided to pursue higher education abroad, most people did not think it was an appropriate decision,” she says.<\/p>\n

This experience is not limited solely to education. Some youth say that their choice of field of study, career path, and lifestyle has also been influenced by the opinions and interference of family members and those around them.<\/p>\n

Asliya Naqshbandi, a 26-year-old resident of Kabul, says that choosing psychology as her field of study exposed her to differing opinions and perceptions.<\/p>\n

“Because I chose psychology and pursued it as a career, I have been judged by many people. They often told me that psychology has no future in Afghanistan or that I would regret choosing it. Such judgments can reduce a person’s motivation and discourage them from pursuing their goals,” she says.<\/p>\n

Ahmad Jawid, a 28-year-old resident of Sar-e Pol, says that after graduating from high school, he decided to stay with his family and work in agriculture and livestock farming. However, some people viewed his decision as a sign of backwardness.<\/p>\n

“After graduating from high school, I decided to stay with my family and work in agriculture and livestock farming. Some people said it would have been better if I had moved to the city or found a government job. They believed that staying in the village was a sign of backwardness, but I was satisfied with my work and felt I could be more useful to my family by staying with them,” he says.<\/p>\n

For some other youth, the pressure of being judged was most evident in the way they dressed and behaved. Mohammad Sami, a 29-year-old resident of Kabul, says he has repeatedly faced judgment and reactions from others because of the way he dresses and behaves.<\/p>\n

“I have been judged because of the way I dress and behave. One of my friends often mocked the way I dressed, and some people even asked me why I always wore a suit or dress pants. This bothered me for a long time,” he says.<\/p>\n

When judgment turns into psychological pressure<\/strong><\/p>\n

The findings of this report show that the consequences of other people’s interference and judgment are not limited solely to influencing youth’s choices. These experiences have also affected youth’s mental well-being, sense of self-worth, and decision-making, often leading to feelings of inadequacy, emotional distress, stress, and psychological pressure.<\/p>\n

Abdul Wahab Sorosh, a 28-year-old resident of Daikundi, says that not having his opinions accepted by others has caused him emotional distress.<\/p>\n

“When I am judged, I do not feel good. I often feel that my thoughts or choices have not been understood. This causes emotional distress and psychological pressure. When a person feels they are not accepted by those around them, it affects every aspect of their life,” he adds.<\/p>\n

Maryam Hossaini, a 25-year-old resident of Sar-e Pol, says that other people’s opinions about her have affected her self-confidence and, at times, made it difficult for her to make decisions about her future.<\/p>\n

“These issues have mostly had negative effects because they create psychological pressure and sometimes reduce my self-confidence,” she adds.<\/p>\n

The experiences shared by these youth show that, in some cases, judgment and interference go beyond simply expressing opinions and begin to affect their psychological well-being, self-confidence, and ability to make decisions.<\/p>\n

Family and society; the roots of interference<\/strong><\/p>\n

The experiences shared by youth in this report show that much of the interference and judgment comes from family members, friends, peers, and the wider social environment \u2014 those who play the greatest role in their daily lives.<\/p>\n

Tamana, a 20-year-old resident of Kabul, says that she has experienced most of this interference from family members, friends, and members of society.<\/p>\n

“Most judgment in society comes from different people, including family members, friends, neighbors, and other members of the community. But in my opinion, the greatest pressure comes from society itself,” she says.<\/p>\n

Farzana Farahmand, a 23-year-old resident of Daikundi, also says, “Most of the judgment I have experienced has come from friends, peers, and people in society. I have often been judged by friends and people around me because of the way I dress, speak, or behave.”<\/p>\n

The findings of these interviews show that family and the social environment play the greatest role in shaping such experiences. Sociologists believe that the continuation of such interference can influence youth\u2019s behavior and, in the long term, have negative consequences for their family relationships, social lives, and future. Shoaib Ahmadi, a sociologist, says,<\/p>\n

“Unfortunately, in many families, decisions are shaped by the opinions and judgments of others rather than by the wishes, values, and real needs of family members. In the long run, this way of thinking can have negative consequences for family relationships, mental health, and the future of youth.”<\/p>\n

Psychologists also say that interference and judgment from others can affect self-confidence, decision-making, and overall life satisfaction. According to them, other people’s opinions become problematic when they become the main criterion for the decisions youth make. Amjad Khan Danish, a psychologist, says,<\/p>\n

“If youth become overly concerned about other people’s judgments, they gradually experience stress, lower self-esteem, reduced self-confidence, and fear of making mistakes. In such circumstances, decisions are no longer based on personal values, abilities, and interests, but on gaining other people’s satisfaction. This ultimately leads to dissatisfaction with life and a lower sense of satisfaction among adolescents and youth.”<\/p>\n

The findings of this report show that interference and judgment from others have, in some cases, limited opportunities, reduced self-confidence, and created psychological pressure among youth. Participants\u2019 accounts indicate that these experiences are most evident in choices related to fields of study, lifestyle, clothing, career choices, and social relationships.<\/p>\n

Experts believe that increasing awareness, promoting constructive dialogue within families and society, and respecting individual choices can help youth make decisions based on their abilities, interests, and circumstances while maintaining social values.<\/p>\n

Reporter: Eshwa Azizi<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Salam Watandar’s interviews with 33 young people (18 girls and 15 boys) in Kabul and several provinces of Afghanistan show that interference and judgment from others have had a significant impact on their personal choices, education, social relationships, and other aspects of their lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":30490,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[990,9,186],"tags":[120,1879,2093,2094],"class_list":["post-30489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest","category-soceity","category-investigative-reports","tag-youth","tag-interference","tag-judgment","tag-decisions"],"views":6,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30489"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30493,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30489\/revisions\/30493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}